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TUESDAY JULY 29 2014

THE STRONGEST ELECTRICAL STORM CENTRE COUNTY HAS SEEN IN YEARS ROLLED THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ESTIMATED THAT 640 LIGHTNING STRIKES HIT THE AREA BETWEEN 7 AND 8PM. LIGHTNING DANAGED A GEISINGER LIFE FLIGHT HELICOPTER INSIDE A HANGER AT THE UNIVERSITY PARK AIRPORT AND PENN STATE’S SEWER TREATMENT PLANT WAS HIT BY LIGHTNING, BUT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE. Investigators have ALSO confirmed THAT A lightning strike started a fire, destroying a CONDO ON SHELLERS BEND in State College Sunday night. The 3 other homes IN THE UNIT SUSTAINED smoke and water damage.

PAUL AARON ROSS’ RE-TRIAL WILL BE IN OCTOBER… AND NOW THE JUDGE HAS TO DECIDE IF HE WILL FACE THE DEATH PENALTY. WHEN HIS FIRST JURY COULDN’T REACH A DECISION ON THE DEATH PENALTY, ROSS WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR THE 2004 MURDER OF TINA MILLER AT CANOE CREEK STATE PARK. THE STATE SUPREME COURT ORDERED A NEW TRIAL. YESTERDAY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY RICH CONSIGLIO ASKED TO HAVE 2 JURORS TESTIFY ABOUT WHAT WENT ON IN THE JURY ROOM. THE JUDGE WILL REVIEW THE CASE LAW BEFORE MAKING A DECISION.

45 YEAR OLD DARCY FLECK OF Huntingdon IS IN THE COUNTY JAIL charged with more than 15-HUNDRED counts of rape AND SEXUAL ABUSE. State Police SAY Fleck assaultED a 19 YEAR OLD HUNTINGDON WOMAN over the course of more than 7 years. THE JUDGE DENIED BAIL.

MICHAEL KITZMILLER OF JOHNSTOWN IS IN THE Cambria County JAIL ON RAPE CHARGES. POLICE SAY HE ARGUED WITH A WOMAN SATURDAY NIGHT AT A HOME IN THE WEST END. KITZMILLER ALLEGEDLY KNOCKED THE VICTIM UNCONSCIOUS AND, WHEN SHE WOKE UP, HE WAS HAVING SEX WITH HER IN FRONT OF HER 5 YEAR OLD CHILD. BAIL IS SET AT 85-THOUSAND DOLLARS.

the altoona mirror reports that 38 year old joseph abrams of altoona is jailed on 40 felony and misdemeanor counts of sexually abusing a young girl. police say the assaults happened in altoona, south fork in cambria county, and moon township in allegheny county where abrams was stationed in the air force reserves. the abuse allegedly began when the girl was 9 and continued until she was 16. abrams currently has an 18 year old girlfriend.

IN BEDFORD COUNTY COURT, 24 YEAR STEVEN FOOR HAS pleadED guilty to sexually assaulting a 15 year old girl multiple times between 2011 and 2012. HE will receive 5 years probation.

Bedford police are looking for the person or persons WHO openED a fire hydrant and WASTED about 200-THOUSAND gallons of water. it happened on Enterprise Lane at Business Park 1 in Bedford Township AND the hydrant was open for several hours before it was discovered. Anyone with information sHOULD CALL state police.

Attorney General Kathleen Kane is warning Pennsylvania consumers about a rash of phone scams that have been reported across the state in recent weeks. SHE says the calls involve someone asking the victim to make a payment. Reasons cited by the callers include unpaid debt, a tax to cover a sweepstakes prize or to have a virus removed from a computer. Kane is reminding people not to give out personal information over the telephone. AND YOU should never wire money in response to an unsolicited telephone call.

CONGRESSMAN GLENN THOMPSON OF CENTRE COUNTY AND 4 OTHER Pennsylvania congressmen ARE ASKING the NCAA to restore scholarships stripped from Penn State and to rescind a 60 million fine levied FOLLOWING the Jerry Sandusky scandal. IN a letter sent to NCAA President Mark Emmert, THEY say the sanctions harm innocent students and erode the NCAA’s credibility. NO COMMENT FROM THE NCAA.

ACCORDING TO A REPORT BY WTAJ, 15 STATE POLICE BARRACKS COULD BE IN DANGER OF CLOSING. There are CURRENTLY more than 500 trooper vacancies…AND if it tops 600, THE COLONEL OFstate police WILL CONSIDER SHUTTING DOWN SOME LOCATIONS. Joseph Kovel, President of THE Pennsylvania State Police Association SAYS It’s estimated that around 1-THOUSAND troopers will be eligible for retirement in the next year or 2, adding to the problem. NO WORD WHICH BARRACKS COULD BE IN JEOPARDY.

as the reassessment moves forward, blair county commissioners have made arrangements with evaluator services and technology to provide their courthouseonline.com service, starting friday. just follow the link to blairco.org. it makes existing assessment office public records available on the internet. property owners can continue to view their information at no cost using the control number and password on assessment notices. reassessment mail-back forms, and tax bills. for information, you can call 717-985-0-3-hundred.

GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT MET WITH BLAIR AND HUNTINGDON COUNTY RESIDENTS AND MEMBERS OF THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY YESTERDAY AT A FARM OUTSIDE OF TYRONE. HE SAYS Rising pension costs and property taxes across THE STATE are impactING people who own large amounts of land. Corbett encouraged all farmers, and tax payers, to talk to their local leaders about supporting comprehensive pension reform to avoid drastic property tax INCREASES.

groundbreaking WAS HELD YESTERDAY for the new behavioral health facility at ALTOONA’S James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center. The building, which has been in THE planning STAGES for several years, will contain 16 offices and 27 rooms for treatment, conferences, testing, and group therapy. CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED NEXT YEAR.